Treatments for General Dentistry London

General Dentistry

The term general dentistry refers to all procedures that are meant to conserve or save your teeth, and tooth extractions. These are the most basic facets of dentistry, and are what every single dentist should be able to provide you with. The procedures that fall under this category usually do not take a lot of time, and are on the more affordable end of dental treatments. They are the most basic, most important dental treatments, the ones that most people get, and the most typical ones.

Consultation session

The most basic unit of dentistry is the consultation session. This should precede any and all dental treatments, and only after a thorough consultation session and assessment can real dental work begin. Emergency dental treatments are also preceded with a consultation session, but these are kept as short as possible for obvious reasons. These sessions give you a chance to ask questions and get answers, and be told what the dentist will do and why. They are an essential part of dental treatment.

Dental x-rays

Dental x-rays are absolutely essential for certain dental treatments, and are a preliminary treatment for orthodontics, root canal treatments, dental implants and certain oral surgical procedures and tooth extractions. Only dental x-rays that are no older than 3 months can be used for these purposes, so if you do not have one, the dentist will have to make one. Dentists will keep the amount of x-rays you are subjected to a minimum, but sometimes they are none negotiable, and the dental treatment absolutely requires that you undergo them. There are panoramic x-rays that show all of your teeth, and bitewings as well as individual tooth x-rays as well.

Hygiene sessions

A deep cleaning and hygiene session is when the dentist cleans all of the plaque and tartar off of your teeth that you cannot remove yourself with your at home oral hygiene routine. Certain places in the mouth are very hard to reach, and require a professional to go over them and remove them before bacteria start to eat away the tooth enamel. During the hygiene session, the dentist r oral hygienist will also clean the tooth roots and underneath the gum line with a special implement. These hygiene sessions are absolutely essential for the wellbeing of your teeth and gums, and must be had every six months or so to ensure a healthy oral environment.

Fillings

All of our tooth fillings are made of composite gradia, and are so called white fillings, or tooth coloured dental fillings. These tooth fillings are safe, quick to set, and can be moulded to the shape of your teeth, and can be put on any tooth surface with ease. Tooth fillings are used when a part of the tooth surface has been affected by decay, and the internal structure of the tooth is either compromised, or about to be compromised. Tooth fillings usually take about half an hour to place, and require some amount of the infected tooth material to be removed.

Root canal treatments

Root canal treatment is the only dental treatment on this list that requires multiple visits. Root canal treatments are used when the internal structure of the tooth has been compromised, and the infection has spread to involve the dentine and the tooth pulp. During a root canal treatment, the inside of the tooth is removed, essentially killing the tooth, and a medicated tooth filling is placed inside the tooth to kill the bacteria. This needs to be done several times sometimes, to make sure all the bacteria are killed. In the end, the dentist will fill up the entire tooth, to the roots, and make sure it continues to function.

Extractions

Dental extractions are the last result of the dental industry, and a dentist will only perform one if there is absolutely no hope of recovery, and when the tooth really needs to go because it is affecting the health of the other teeth or the gums and mouth. There usually are very strict after care instructions that need to be followed word for word to avoid infection, dry socket, and possibly very serious complications. Dental extractions will leave you with a missing tooth, and the tooth needs to be replaced immediately with a dental implant, in order to avoid further tooth loss.